This Unfamiliar Back
by Lady-Nuriko
Summary: What happens when you forget the person you promised to always protect? RoyAi.
1. Chapter 1

My second RoyAi fanfic. Please enjoy and feel free to R&R

It'll pick up soon, promise!

**This Unfamiliar Back**

Riza Hawkeye passed through the same hallways each day, saw the same faces everyday and the names and stories behind most of one. Being the aide for the Colonel had opened certain doors that would otherwise have been closed to her. She had attended formal military functions and important state business with him over the years. Although her job was demanding and required her to do less than honorable deeds in time of war she cherished all the memories, both good and bad, as they allowed her to stay by his side. She was allowed to be just that selfish, wasnt she?

The blonde haired woman opened the door to Mustangs office, noting she was the first to arrive- yet again. As she passed the small counter she flicked on the coffee machine that had been prepared last night by the men. She rarely drank the stuff herself but she always had enjoyed the smell. Continuing with her routine she put her things away in her desk and pulled some papers from the nearby filing cabnet that needed to be sent off today.

The door opened again and a sleepy Colonol Mustang followed by Lt. Havoc entered. "Morning Lt. Hawkeye." He waved lazily in her direction as he stiffled a yawn and approached his desk. He hated mornings. A hand came down infront of his vision as Riza set a mug filled with hot coffee on his desk. "Ah! Your so wonderful Chuuei!" His expression brightened as he reached for the mug, inhaling the caffinated goodness contained within. The mug was almost immediatly followed by a thick brown folder that landed squarly infront of him. The sight of the folder caused Roy's expression to vanish instantly. He knew it was too good to be true.

"General Hakuro requested this forms to be signed regarding the next assignment up north. I agreed to drop them off later."

Havoc stiffled a snicker as he watched Hawkeye shoot down Mustang so easily. An quick icy glare from Hawkeye sent cold shivers down his spine and he quickly made himself busy with work.

The rest of Mustangs crew filtered in and out of the room throughout the day. Their work under Mustang taking them different places throughout Central and the city. Mustang had spent most of his morning being forced to work on the papers given to him by Hawkeye and in return between her own workload she made sure to supply him with fresh coffee.

"Why can't he come get them himself?" Roy muttered irritably as he signed the last document and began shoving them back into the brown folder. "Your my Lieutenant, not his errand boy."

Hawkeye ignored the nasty tone in his voice, there wasnt much point in explaining herself. "Its on my way home Sir. The General is busy preparing his soldiers, I thought I would be helpful." Her tone was very matter-of-factly. Neither one of them were particularily fond of General Hakuro, but he was their superior and so had to put their personal feelings aside.

Mustang handed her back the folder with a sigh. Taking a moment he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. It had started raining again he just noticed. The noice of the patter hit the windows behind him and ran down the glass in streams. Hawkeye held the documents against her chest almost protectively and nodded.

"If thats all you need from me today Sir. Ill be checking in with the General before I return home."

Mustang gave a dismissive nod and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the rain. "Why dont you drive home today? Its pretty bad out there." He observed, his eyes still closed. Hawkeye paused at the door, her hand resting on the knob.

"I dont mind the rain. I can function perfectly well in it unlike you." Mustangs eyes shot open and he stood up straight in his chair, his gaze focused now on his lieutenant as she left the room without a further word. Cold. Very cold. He was glad no one else was around to hear the comment.

Hawkeye held a steady pace as she traversed the halls of Central. She stopped off in womens change room only long enough to switch into her civilian clothes, preferring not to have to dry her uniform out tonight after returning home. Thankfully due to many of her undercover missions, her locker was well supplied for any weather. Donning a pair of brown dress pants she put her military issued jacket over the shirt she had always wore under her uniform.

General Hakuro currently resided in the oldest part of the Military buildings. He enjoyed it because it was isolating and allowed him to concentrate without being disturbed. The building's bottom level was almost completely open, at one point in history it had been used for alchemists to train in private without fear of restraint, the walls had been reinforced with alchemy to provide safely from any mistakes. That was of course before alchemists devoloped an ego and had to create a huge outdoor stage in which to perform as they called it. The upstairs of the building still had a few offices. One of course belonged to the infamous Hakuro. One of the reasons why it was so rarely visited was because of its location. Tucked away at the back of the military, it was a good ten minute walk across the parade grounds and sidestreets. Due to its original purpose they didnt want it to be too close to populated areas. The walk didnt both Riza, her apartment was only another ten minutes away after Hakuros office so it truely was on her way. The hood of her jacket was pulled up over her head, repelling most of the rain as she walked briskly across to the dimly lit building ahead. The trees that surrounded the building made it appear darker and later than it actually was. Truthfully this building wasnt her favorite but she'd never admit it. It smelled of blood and still had traces of alchemy research strewn about the inside. The blood she knew was from old alchemy duels, where the fights often came down to who had the biggest dick and became carried away. There werent any casualties thankfully but the dirt in the room had absorbed its fair share of their blood.

Hawkeye made her way up the winding steps to the upper floors. It was deathly quiet and each footstep she took echoed through the building, no doubt the General would have heard her coming already. The upper floors unlike downstairs were clean and renovated to Military standards. When Hakuro decided to take over the building he had them fix the place up for him. Downstairs was still a work in progress. When she reached his office she knocked lightly on the door. When she was given permission to enter she opened the door and saluted to the superior.

"Sir."

General Hakuro smiled up at her from his desk and motioned for her to approach. "At ease Lt. Hawkeye. Thank you for coming all this way to bring those."

Hawkeye let her salute drop and pulled out the reason she had come. Handing the documents directly to him her task was complete. She stood rigidly infront of him as he inspected the papers.

"Wonderful, I can have these sent out by morning. You've saved me alot of time Lt." Hakuro pulled out the documents, confirmed everything was in order and nodded in approval.

"Is that all Sir?" Hawkeye asked.

Hakuro nodded "Yes Lt. I believe that will be all Your dismissed. Thank you." Riza nodded, turned on her heel and made for the door. Before she could leave, his voice spoke up again. "Oh Lt. One more thing. Please tell your Colonel to watch his back, I've received information theres a rebel group against reunification of the land. Theyve been making quite a stir lately."

Hawkeye nodded again before leaving. Rebels? She hadnt heard anything about that, Mustangs information network was one of the best. Something in the tone of his voice bothered her. It seemed he knew something she wasnt telling him. Perhaps she would call him when she returned home, just to check in and make sure he was alright. It would take just as long to go back to his office anyways. Riza exited the building and made her way back down the street. It had gotten much colder during the short time she was indoors. She wrapped her jacket tighter around herself against the rain and bent her head as she stepped quickly to get home. Her mind was so focused on Hakuro's chilly warning and asking Mustang about it that she didnt hear or see the men come out of the darkness. The next thing she knew she was falling.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Unfamiliar Back

* * *

Riza opened her eyes slowly and let out a soft groan. Her head hurt. Raising her hand she reached back and touched her head, flinching in pain as she felt the lump that had welled up back there. Looking around the room she didn't recognize any of her surroundings. A man entered the room, being alerted by her movements.

"Ready to talk yet?"

The woman looked up at the man in confusion, she stared intently at his face, trying to place him but to no avail. "Im sorry...?" She asked softly as she sat up from her place on the floor. Why was she on the floor? She couldn't remember that either. "Where am I?"

The man watched her closely from the doorway but didn't move.

"No use to playing stupid now Miss. You want I should let him deal with you again? Just tell us what we want to know already. You _are_ still expendable."

Riza looked completely confused as she stared blankly at the man. What was he talking about? Let who deal with who? her? Than it hit her so suddenly she almost fell over again. "...Who am I?" Her voice came out, feeling surreal and disembodied.

The mans eyes widened as he watched her. Was she serious? Yes, of course she was. He had done this research on all of Mustangs men, Riza was the most serious, it wasn't in her personality to play this type of game. He growled under his breathe, hesitating a moment before bolting out of the room leaving Riza sitting on the cold floor holding her head in her hands. Her mind was buzzing and she couldn't think of anything or remember anything for that matter. It scared her. From the other room she could hear raised voices, only making out the odd word but nothing that made sense to her. The door opened again.

"-the bitch would have talked the first time I wouldn't 'ave had to!"

Two men entered the room again, one of them looked incredibly angry at the other. Riza looked up at them expectantly, hoping he would answer her question. A feeling at the back of her mind told her she was in danger only it couldn't explain what she had done to be in this situation. The one who had addressed her the first time had a grave expression on his face.

"As it turns out, I suppose you will be expendable after all. Your of no use to us without your memory. Such a shame cause it kinda dampens our plans, but we're creative, we'll find other means." From the mans pocket he drew a gun, his eyes never leaving the woman's face. "Don't take this too personally."

Riza's eyes widened in horror, she didn't have a clue what was happening but this man wanted to kill her. He was seriously going to kill her! She didn't know where her next actions came from but a sudden adrenaline rush took over her body and she leapt forward at the man who stood only a couple short feet from her. They hadn't expected much resistance from the woman who had no memory and was caught quite off guard, he fired a poorly aimed shot at her quickly before she tackled him to the floor. The other man reached out for her flailing limbs, she dodged and landed a solid hit in his side. Her last punch landed square in the first mans throat, leaving him gasping for breathe. The noise alerted the other man in the next room. He came rushing in to aide of his comrades and was met by a panic stricken Riza who had all but immobilized this two friends in a matter of seconds. The one new to the scene successfully caught her arms as she dealt with the first two. Although she had no memory of all her years of military combat training, the knowledge and hand to hand combat still remained in her head. She brought her knee up into the groin of the man holding her, forcing him to release her hand. The man she had pushed down had regained his footing and made to grab her again. Riza did a quick sweeping sidekick and knocked the man off his feet again, he fell with a loud thud into some trash bags piled into the corner. Not wanting to wait for anymore to join in she bolted from the room, quickly finding the exit that lead out onto a small the back of her mind she noted it was early morning, the sweet smell of dew still hung in the air. It would have been a nice smell if her life hadn't been being threatened at the moment. Behind her she could hear the men cursing and stumbling about. They wouldn't stop so easily she was sure of it. She still didn't have a clue why they were chasing her but something told her to just keep running. Think about it later, she told herself.

She weaved through the side streets easily enough, she was scared but was fairly confident she could outrun them. A shot was fired from somewhere behind her. Riza let out a scream and ducked her head. She had forgotten they had a gun! There was no time to think about it, they missed her- or so she thought, at this point she wasn't sure of much. The side street ended, coming out into a road that was starting to become busy, a few cars drove by and people travelling to work. Behind her she couldn't hear the men chasing her. Had they stopped their pursuit? They probably didn't want to cause a scene in public which meant they were shady characters, not affiliated with any sort of legal minority. She felt anxious as she walked slowly down the busy street, fervently glancing around and behind her for any signs that she was being followed. Why didn't she remember? What happened to have put her in this situation. Who are those men. The streets didn't look familiar at all which added to the worry.

Every look that someone gave her made her jump. Someone had just tried to kill her. She guessed her appearance was less than attractive, she hadnt had a chance to see herself yet but her hands were dirty and stained with traces of blood. Hers? Theirs? Across the street she noticed a small park with a playground. Perhaps she could take a moment of rest there and get her bearings. She just had to calm down and everything would be fine. She found an empty bench at the edge of a pond and sat down, holding her head in the palms of her hands she took a deep breathe; forcing her body to calm down and concentrate. She had to think. Something must have happened... but what? She felt like screaming.

* * *

Mustang opened the door and entered his office, yawning loudly. He tossed a lazily wave as he approached his desk. "Morning Chuuei." He stopped in mid step and glanced over at the spot that she normally sat in. Glancing around the room in confusion he thought back. She wasn't taking the day off today was she? Being late was out of the question. "Chuuei?" He asked almost stupidly, half expecting her to just appear from nowhere.

Havoc and Falman entered the room and exchanged quick looks as they watched Mustang standing in the middle of the room stratching his head in confusion. They assumed that it might be a new creative way of his to procrastinate.

"Lt. Havoc!" Mustang spun around on his heel, making both men jump. "Did Lt. Hawkeye say anything about taking the day off today?"

The young man quirked an eyebrow and shook his head. "No sir." It was an odd question, requesting days off always went through their commanding officer- Roy Mustang. He should have known better than anyone if Hawkeye was needing the day off.

"Strange. Its not like her to not show up." He mused for a moment, perhaps she was sick? Sitting down at his desk he picked up the phone and dialed her number. No answer. Now he was getting worried. By this time the rest of his crew had shown up chatting softly amongst themselves as they settled into their work for the day.

"Where's Hawkeye-chuuei?" Kain Fuery spoke, glancing around the room. The others stopped what they were doing, just now noticing the lack of their cold lieutenant and to some, more importantly the lack of their coffee brewing.

"Obviously, not _here_Sergeant." Mustang snapped sharply, scouring his desk looking for some note or paper that would explain her disappearance. Nothing. Of course. Fuery withdrew meeky back towards his desk, his head bent over his work, avoiding Mustangs anger. Havoc glanced between them, he wasn't any better speaking up against Mustang when he was in a foul mood, that was Hawkeye job among others but he couldn't let him take his anger out on Fuery.

"Woah, Taisa. Calm down. I'm sure Lt. Hawkeye just got held up." He gave Mustang the nervous smile of 'please don't grill me', his hands held out in front of him with his palms facing the Colonel. It wasn't really unheard of for personnel to run errands for other officers.

The morning pasted slowly, Mustang tried to keep himself busy by doing his work but that completely failed, he did little more than shuffle papers about his desk and glance at the clock. There was still no sign of Hawkeye. His men went about their work quietly, coming and going from the office as needed while Mustang sat in his office and stewed. None of the other officers had seen her and as far as he knew she didnt even enter the building this morning. His men had also voiced their concern about their missing Lieutenant but also managed to convince him she was more than capable to taking care of herself- which he knew was true but still, things happened.

"Maybe Black Hayate got sick and she had to take him to the doctor?" Falman offered helpfully during a trip back to the office to pick some papers Fuery had been working on. Mustang gave a nonchalant nod. They were right though, Hawkeye was more than likely fine. First class sharpshooter and deadly in any firearm given to her.

"Im going to go check on her." Mustang decided, standing up from his desk. Falman, papers in hand stopped midway to the door and looked at the colonel.

"Colonel... just out of curiosity what scares you more. The thought of not knowing where Lt. Hawkeye is or what would happen when she comes back and finds you haven't done anything with your work?" His voice was casual. He too was concerned about her whereabouts but the cold lieutenant was very... passionate about the colonel doing his job and would more than likely flay them all alive for letting him run off on his work even if it was to look for her.

Mustang gritted his teeth and finally let out a sigh. He was right. He was a colonel of the military. He had work to do, as much as he hated the though of putting this before Riza he had no proof she was in any sort of danger and so couldn't abandon his duties. Snatching a pen up with such angry intensity from his desk he grudgingly sat back down and attempted to do something useful for what was left of the day.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reading, the next few chapters have been completed just in the process of fixing a few things up. I'll try not to disappoint. ^^

* * *

Chapter 3

Mustang left his office earlier than usual, after all if figured with all the late nights he had put in over the last few months he deserved to leave early for once. That was at least the excuse he he prepared if anyone asked. In truth he couldn't concentrate on anything work related, the feeling he had told him something was wrong. There hadn't been a word from Riza all day and no one had seen her. It was completely out of character for her. It was raining when he left work so he opted to take a company car home. His apartment wasn't far but he wasn't in the mood to trudge through the cold rainy evening. Him and rain didn't mesh, as everyone just loved to point out at every opportunity.

He was driving half in a daze, his mind elsewhere. Perhaps he would swing by her place and she if shes home yet? Yes. That sounded like a good idea. Wait, but what if she was home and she actually answered? Would she think he was so pathetic he had to skip work early and stop by, like she was some helpless woman he often went for? But she missed work today! That wasn't normal. So it would only be natural to check on someone under those circumstances, correct? Especially when its one of his subordinates. That's what good superiors do right? But than again, good superiors also didn't think of their Lieutenants the way he did...

The state his mind was in, he wasn't sure how he noticed. He wasn't concentrating on anything that wasn't immediately in front of him but from the corner of his eye he saw a flash of golden blond pass by on the street. There was a plethora of women who possessed blond hair. Heck, he probably did know her, he had dated virtually every blond in Central. However something told him he knew her better than that. Quickly he pulled the car over to the side of the road and glanced in the rear view mirror. The woman hadn't stopped, she had her head bent against the rain and noticed the nervous glance she tossed occasionally.

It was her! Riza!

Jumping out of the car he called out to her. The woman didn't acknowledge him, maybe he didn't hear him. He called again as she disappeared into the small crowd. Pushing past the few people that stood between them he reached out, managing to snag her by the arm.

"Riza!"

The woman let out a sharp scream, whipping around with a balled fist she landed a solid punch square in his jaw. The action caught Roy completely off guard and when he didn't immediately release her, she struck out again. Roy stared into her eyes, they were filled with complete terror and confusion. This was a completely different woman, but it was definitely Riza. She was soaked, her hair was flat against her back and dripped with water.

"LET ME GO!" Riza lashed out with another punch and Roy released her arm quickly, stepping back on one foot in order to dodge the strike. Once freed she took her chance and ran as quickly as she could through the streets. Some of the citizens of Central had stopped to watch the scene. Their expressions varied between amused and horrified while other people ignored the scene, preferring to not become involved in something that had the possibility of becoming dangerous.

"Riza!" He called out, quickly regaining his senses. He pursued the fleeting lieutenant, not knowing what was wrong but she needed help. Was she perhaps mad at him again? He couldnt think of anything to have made her angry. He hadnt called Melissa from his office in almost two days.

By this time, Riza was panicking and fatigued from being constantly on guard all day, this gave Roy quite the advantage. He caught up with her easily and grabbed her hand again, this time being prepared for the lash out. As she spun around to deliver another punch he caught her other arm with his free one and and forced her to look at him. She screamed and struggled violently within his grasp.

"Riza! Riza, its me! Roy! Are you okay? Whats wrong?" He asked, trying to keep his voice calm, but his own panic was more than likely evident in his voice. Her eyes wide with terror, she didn't seem to register his words, her focus was on his firm grip that prevented her from escaping.

"Please! Please, don't kill me! I don't know anything!" She pled with him, at this point tears had begun to flow down her cheeks, although with the heavy rainfall it was hard to tell if he hadn't been staring into her eyes. He didn't want to risk letting her arms go in fear she would flee and in he state she wasn't thinking anymore. She was exhausted and freezing. Her hands were cold and he could feel her shaking in his hold.

Roy's eyes widened, he looked completely taken aback. Kill her? What the hell was she talking about? How could she even say such a thing? "No, no. I would never harm you. Its me, Roy. Roy Mustang. Remember?" He cringed inwardly at the thought. Hurt her. It sounded so stupid for him to even have to voice something like that. He cared so deeply for this woman and it tore him apart to see her like this. What happened to her? He should have left earlier to find her.

"I don't know you! I swear! Please, just let me go! I wont tell anyone!" Her struggling had became to grow weaker as her energy drained. Her knees were starting to shake from the fear and exertion. She was freezing. Her clothes, the black shirt she always wore and brown pants were clinging to her body in ways that he would normally have loved to see but at this moment it made him sick and angry that she was in this state. He didn't know why she didn't recognize him. Something happened to her. Right now he had to deal with one thing at a time and that was trying to calm his Lieutenant down and gain her trust.

"Please. I promise I wont harm you. My name is Roy Mustang, I'm a colonel in the Military." The last part seemed stupidly obvious as he was still in uniform, but he said it anyways. "You have my word that your safe." His voice was soft and calm- on the outside anyways. Riza's struggling had become little more than pathetic attempts to free herself. Her eyes slowly moved to stare up at Roy's face. Droplets of rain dripped from his short black hair and ran down his face as his gaze never left hers. She didn't know who to trust but she could fight anymore. If he was with those men, her spirit was as drowned as she felt. Her knees finally gave out under her and she collapsed to the ground. Roy gasped as he followed her down, changing his grip from possessing her arms to holding them so she didn't hurt herself as she dropped suddenly. Kneeling down beside her, he removed his jacket and draped it gently across her back.

"Shh. Its alright. I'm going to take you someplace safe. Alright?" He asked soothingly rubbing his hand gently over her back. "Can you stand?" When the woman made no attempt to move or struggle against him, he slowly reached out to her, preparing to pick her up. She didn't resist against the motions. If he was going to kill her she just wanted it to be quick. She didn't want to live constantly in fear and with no memory of anything. Roy carried her back to the car and placed her down in the passenger seat. Turning up the heat in the car so that she could warm up, he drove back to his apartment. At least it was warm and safe. She could shoot him later for it if she wanted but somehow he didn't think she would.

* * *

Chapter 4 should be up shortly.


	4. Chapter 4

Next chapter tis up and chapter 5 should be following shortly. Been pretty ill the past week and havent had the energy to do much.

* * *

Chapter 4

It had taken some coaxing to convince her to use the bathroom in order to shower and change but eventually she agreed. When she emerged about half an hour later he was in the kitchen preparing two cups of hot tea. The woman was dressed in some of his own clothes- an slightly over-sized t-shirt and pyjama pants that were cinched up around her thin waist. They weren't the most flattering clothes in the world but they were dry. He had taken a moment for himself while she showered to shrug out of his own wet clothes and into some warm, dry ones. She still seemed timid and on edge but managed his most encouraging smile as she entered the kitchen.

"Tea?" He asked as he handed her the steaming mug.

Riza looked at him suspiciously before accepting, murmuring a thank you. Taking his own cup, he offered her a seat on the couch in his small living room. The two sat across from each other, Roy taking a sip of his tea before setting it down on a table beside him.

"Can you tell me what happened today?" He asked calmly, trying to keep his voice soft and easy sounding. He wanted to know everything. Asking a million questions all at once. Right here. Right now but he knew better. Situations like this were delicate and had to be treated as such. He couldn't rush her.

Riza stared down at the mug between her hands, watching the steam swirl about the top of the cup. When she finally spoke her voice was low, he had to strain to hear her.

"I don't know. I really don't. There were some men, they had a gun and tried to kill me..." She had come to terms with the fact this man wasn't going to kill her. He wasn't associated with them and was more or less genuinely trying to help her. For some reason she believed she could trust him. Taking a shaky breathe, she paused before continuing to recall the broken bits of her memory. "I ran. I really don't remember anything. You probably think I'm lying, but I don't even know who I am. Why are they trying to kill me?" Her eyes lifted from the cup and met his intense gaze.

Roy shook his head slowly, he didn't have an answer to some of those. "I'm not sure why, but I can tell you. I do know you, I don't think your lying. Your name is Riza. Riza Hawkeye. Your a lieutenant under me. My aide..." He spoke slowly so not to overwhelm her. He didn't want to shock her anymore than she already was but also hoped knowing this would bring her memories back.

She nodded slightly, taking it in. Her expression turned to a frown in disappointment. "I suppose at this point you could feed me anything at all and expect me to believe it because I couldn't know any better? Shame on you... Do you have any idea what this is like! " He voice shook in anger and frustration. Her hands that held the cup, trembled. The fact that she couldn't separate truth from lies was frustrating, how could it be that conveniently this man finds her after everything that happened and knows her to be some officer in the military- under him no less!

Her words shocked him, she didnt believe him? Roy didnt know how to reply.

Riza took another breath, calming herself again.

"Listen. I appreciate all your help. Thank you for the tea, if you don't mind Ill be leaving now." Setting the untouched mug down she stood up only to be stopped by Mustang.

"No, no. Please don't leave. I truely am being honest. You've been in the Military with me since Ishval! You promised you'd be there to protect my back? You have no memories of any of this?" He didn't touch her, he stood leaving a short space between the two bodies. He could feel his heart racing as he tried desperately to make her remember.

"Protect you? I'm sure I have no idea what your talking about. I'm sorry." Her voice sounded nonchalant and only a little sympathetic to this persistence. Riza side stepped the man who only proceeded to mimic her movement causing her path to become blocked again. Perhaps he was being honest but her defences were up and on high alert. She couldn't help it.

Mustang was getting frustrated, how could she have forgotten everything that they had been through together? Too many questions and no answers, he could only imagine what she was going through right now. "Alright, Its okay, although I would feel better if I knew you were safe Riza. Would you at least stay the night here? Tomorrow morning I promise Ill take you back home."

Riza hesitated but slowly managed a nod, the idea of being outside while there was someone after her sent icy chills down her spine. She nodded slowly and saw Mustangs face relax instantly. Even if he chose to feed her false information, he wasnt trying to kill her. He had done nothing to her to betray the trust she had given so far.

Roy, half expecting her to make a run for it again was surprised when Riza took a seat back on the couch, folding her hands in her lap and staring down at them in thought. He wanted to ask what she was thinking about but thought better. If she wanted to talk, she would. He took a seat beside her on the couch and leaned back, giving her time to contemplate without him constantly watching her like a hawk.

"...Roy?" Her voice came out soft and unsure. The way she spoke his name made him smile, it was a nice change from the formalities they were usually accustomed to at work. He lifted his head from the chair and gave her a curious look. Her gaze was still focused on her lap. "Do you think it's possible that my memories will return? I can't distinguish anything! It scares me to know that I'm helpless against it."

Roy leaned forward, propping his one elbow on his knee and resting his chin in his hand as he addressed her. At the sound of his movement, Riza finally lifted her head noting the seriousness of his face as he spoke. "I promise you that no matter what it takes, I'll help you remember everything. You have my word as a Colonel and as a friend."

Without thinking or even being fully aware of her own actions, Riza leapt forward, throwing her body into Roy's. Shocked by the sudden movement he moved his arms to catch her. His arms wrapping around the woman, he could feel her body shaking softly. She wasn't crying but her body shook steadily from what he guessed was nerves and shock more than anything. Whoever thought that someone as strong as his Lieutenant could be frightened this badly? What made it worse was that someone did this to her and that alone made him very angry. He soothed her, running a hand gently over her back as she buried her face in his chest. He had lost track of the time they spent in the position, not that it mattered anyways. He made no attempt to move her or talk, he just let her lay there silently until the shaking ceased. He wasn't sure when it was that he had finally noticed that the lieutenant had fallen asleep, her arms draped lazily across his body, her head against his chest. He gazed down at the woman and smiled, noting how peaceful and beautiful she really was. Absently he moved a strand of hair from across her face and tucked it behind her ear. Riza hardly stirred from the movement.

Roy picked her up as gently as he could, doing his best to not wake her up as he moved her to his bedroom, figuring she would sleep better there than the couch. Turning back the covers he laid the woman down; she made a soft groan as her body touched the cool sheets but didn't wake. He tucked her in much like what a parent would do to a child. When he was content that she would be fine he slipped quietly out of the room, closing the door silently behind him.

Back on the couch, Roy had already discarded the idea of sleeping that night. His mind kept travelling back to the woman sleeping in his room and how terrible he felt that he couldn't do anything to help her. Running a hand through his short black hair he racked his mind, trying to find some way, some new idea to aid her He didn't want to loose her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* * *

Riza had first awoke in a state of confusion and shock, not being able to remember how she got to the bedroom. It occurred after that he must have carried her here. The room was still dark, the only light sources came from a streetlamp outside that provided the shadows in the room and another bit of light that spilled forth from underneath the bedroom door. Roy must be awake, Riza though as she crawled out of bed. When Riza emerged from the room it was shortly after 5am according to Roy. He looked over at her from the stove and smiled his usual cheerful grin. "Good Morning. Eggs?" He was half-dressed in his military uniform she'd noticed. The white shirt and uniform pants; his jacket was draped over one of the kitchen chairs. His hair was still damp, he must have showered earlier. Had he even slept? He'd given her his bed.

"Thank you." She took a seat at the table that had already been set with a fork and knife for her. "Your working this morning?" She questioned curiously, picking up the mug of coffee he'd placed infront of her and took a sip.

"Yes. I thought we'd leave early. I'll take you home like I promised. It might help you remember something." He explained, setting down a plate in front of her.

She hadn't realized how hungry she actually was. She could honestly say she couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten, all the stress and anxiety had taken over her body. Hunger hadn't seemed important until now. After the meal she was starting to feel much better about everything, like a ray of hope had appeared as corny as that seemed to her. This man seemed to be the source of that hope for her. She felt safe and also increasingly bad about how she treated him last night. He was a colonel in the military, a position that deserved respect and she had been anything but.

"First, I'd like to apologize about last night. I didn't mean to offend you. I was... very confused." She started, unsure of how to start. "I really do appreciate your help."

Roy shook his head. "No apology required. I'm sure anyone in your situation would have reacted the same way."

"So... last night... you said that you knew me? That my name is Riza? Was that correct?" It seemed stupid to her to be saying this. Her hands cupped the mug of hot coffee on the table as she spoke. Her eyes were locked on the man in front of her, searching his dark eyes for any sort of truth to his answer.

"Indeed. It is as true today as it was yesterday. Lt. Riza Hawkeye." She had beautiful eyes, he couldn't help notice. He also noted they had lost any trace of fear that they once held last night; they were calm and searching through him for answers- resembling more like his Riza. He could even make out just a hint of that famous icy glare hidden behind them. How he wished that he didn't have to work today, the thought of calling in a sick day had crossed his mind, but he had that meeting today that he couldn't afford to miss, no matter how unimportant it made it seem compared to this. "We should go if were going to get you home."

Riza stood, clearing her dishes from the table and placing them in the sink. Roy grabbed his jacket from the chair and carried it out with him. Riza followed, still wearing Mustangs clothes, as her own still hadn't been washed from last night. He had also given her one of his spare military issued jackets that reached about halfway past her knees.

The ride to her place was quiet, Riza stared out the window, her hands folded neatly on her lap. It had stopped raining but the sky was grey and dark, threatening to produce another shower. The car soon stopped in front of a series of small apartments buildings. She stared up at them, hoping it would bring some type of memory back. She thought they looked familiar but perhaps it was because she was trying so hard to make them seem that way.

He had only been to her place a couple of times usually when dropping her off from work. He lead the way to her place, which felt strange and really not right at all. When they arrived he noticed it right away, the door to her apartment was open slightly. Roy glanced over his shoulder, pushing her gently to the side and placed his finger to his lips, motioning for her to remain silent. From his pants pocket he withdrew a pair of white gloves and slipped them on. He wasn't sure what to expect. Silently he opened the door and slipped into the room, carefully examining the room as he entered.

The place had been torn apart, her furniture was tipped over and drawers emptied onto the floor. The carpet which he just noticed was stained with droplets of blood, the trail led back towards the door. A soft whimper caught his attention and he spun around to face a closed door. The whimper was followed again by a loud scratching sound. Reaching out he opened the door releasing what he had suspected. A black and white dog shot out from inside. His tail wagging happily to see him.

"Black Hayate." He confirmed. Other than him the place was empty. It looks like whoever was here had been attacked by the dog before they locked him in the room and ransacked the place. Patting the dog gently on the head he went back to gather Riza, Hayate following right behind him.

"Whoever they were, they're gone." Riza had been waiting patiently outside, the relief evident when he returned. Black Hayate upon seeing his mistress ran to her side, his tail flailing back and forth. He sat down in front of her obediently and looked up at her, tilting his head to the side in a way only a dog can do. The woman stared down at the small dog, obviously he belonged to her, but she didn't know its name.

"Black Hayate" Roy said helpfully. "You agreed to take him in after Sergeant Fuery brought him to work one day." Riza smiled and knelt down, petting the dog as he happily rubbed against her. "I think this little guy gave up a good fight. They're probably pretty injured. I doubt they'll be returning anytime soon but still, I don't think you should stay here just in case."

"What do you mean? I dont have anywhere else to stay." Riza stood up, folding her arms across her chest to keep her emotions in check.

Roy nodded, closing the door to her apartment. "Come on, I'll take you to HQ with me. I'll have the military police stake out your place in case they return. It'll be alright." Roy placed his hand on her back, urging her back down the hall. She obeyed, as did Black Hayate following closely at her feet.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6. This is the last chapter I have written up completely. The rest is only half formed and ideas still in my head.

Note:: Sorry, I do realize I switch often between the japanese and english versions of their ranks, its a bad habit. I just kinda go with whichever one sounds better in the current situation- that and the japanese sounds cuter. .;; Shh. ^_^

* * *

They arrived at Central shortly after seven and headed straight for his office, avoiding anyone who tried to stop him for any sort of unimportant business they may have required of him. Hawkeye walked quickly to keep up with his pace. It was still early and she was surprised to see how busy the place was already. She payed little attention to anyone in particular, otherwise she would have heard some of the officers whispering about her amongst one another as she passed. Her outfit was... less than appropriate The only saving grace for her was the long military coat Mustang had lent her, it covered the shirt she wore underneath and most of the sweatpants. Roy opened his office door, motioning for Riza to enter first.

Mustangs crew were all accounted for by the time Mustang and Hawkeye arrived. Havoc stared up in shock as Riza entered, taking in her less than professinal appearance. Her hair was loose, falling softly over her shoulders and down her back.

"Ha- Hawkeye-chuuei!" He stood up quickly, the rest of the men also turned to look in her direction, the sudden attention sent chills down Riza's spine. Mustang twitched in anger and closed the door much louder than he normally would. The noise caused each of the men to jump, shifting their attention to the colonel.

"Enough! Sergeant Fuery. Call the MP and have them send their best men to Hawkeye's apartment. Tell them to remain unseen." His voice was sharp, holding authority as he sent orders quickly, leaving no room for questions or argument. "Havoc. Go and fetch Lt. Hawkeye a uniform. Inform them she wont be working today." Havoc nodded, exiting the room quickly. Fuery was already on the phone relaying Mustang's orders to them.

"Er... Taisa? Is everything alright?" Breda asked carefully, feeling like he was treading on thin ice that could break at any second.

Mustang took a seat at his desk, propping his elbows on his desk and resting his chin on his hands he turned his gaze on his men with all seriousness.

"It would appear, for reasons unknown, someone is after Lt. Hawkeyes life. She has no memory of anyone. Or anything for that matter." It took a moment for his words to sink in amongst his men but it was obvious from looking at her it was true. Riza was walking slowly about the room, examining everything closely. All the military related photographs that covered the walls. The awards given to his company and all the memories they had been through. None of these she remembered however it became apparent they were real as she saw herself, dressed in the blue uniform, in many of the pictures, The cold professional expression staring back at her.

The door opened as Havoc returned carrying a spare uniform. He wasn't able to bring her own which was hanging in her locker downstairs so she'd just have to make do with this one for now. It was better than what she was wearing now. Riza turned as he offered her the uniform, the man held a small teasing grin.

"What happened to you Lt.? Late night and forget your uniform?" No sooner had the words come out of his mouth he somehow regretted them. Groans were emitted from the men behind him and the look of Mustangs face said he would broil him alive if he said another word. Glancing around at the rest of the men, they all averted their gaze not wanting to be the one to bite the bullet so to speak. Hawkeye was the one that ended up breaking the silence.

"Actually yes." She took the uniform and looked towards Mustang in silent question.

"Down the hall to your right." He supplied helpfully, directing her to the women's change room. She smiled and left the room. When the door closed he cast a glare at Havoc, he always had the worst timing. After explaining the situation again, Havoc became solemn and surely felt terrible.

"What can we do to help?"

Mustang contemplated his friends words, he really didn't know the answer to that. "I don't think there's much we can do other than support her. In most cases like this the memory returns by itself. I don't know how long it ll take though. Days? Weeks...?" He clenched his fist, bringing it down hard on his desk as he cursed. "Why didn't I just leave yesterday! I could have found her." Whether or not that was true he would never know but he was angry with himself.

"The MP have Hawkeye-chuuei's place staked out. I'm in direct connection with them- silence right now." Fuery piped up trying to be helpful. He had his radio set up in front of him, turning a dial slowly. Mustang nodded in approval.

When Riza returned she was fully dressed in her uniform. She still had a small air of uneasiness as she looked around at the room of approving faces. Her hair was still loose.

"It seems strange to be wearing this when I cant remember what Ive done to deserve it." She stated, adjusting the jacket so it sat better across her chest. It was a good fit even though it wasn't hers. The rank was clearly displayed on the shoulders. Lieutenant right? How she wished it would come back already. She sat in the middle of what was her entire life (or so Mustang told her) and yet her mind couldn't prove it.

Mustang gestured to an empty desk that was neatly stacked with a few papers. "Its your desk. Please just relax, I wont even make you do work today!" He smiled jokingly at her expression but she sat down in the chair anyways, running her hand over the smooth oak desk. In front of her were a few detailed and official looking documents. There was also a picture frame, picking it up she stared at the photo inside. It was fairly old she guessed as it was faded in the corners. Riza had short hair in this one, the other woman had long dark hair. Both woman had small smiles. In their hands each held a rifle and were dressed in long light colored trench coats over top of the blue uniform. The background denoted that it was a desert. She must be (have been?) a good friend.

The rest of the morning went fairly uneventful. Fuery heard no news from the MP and Hawkeye still didn't have any breakthroughs in her memory. Much to Mustang's displeasure he was forced to leave for a few hours to attend the planned meeting which left Hawkeye alone with the other men. They were all friendly enough, cheerfully offering to bring her something to eat or asking how she was doing, but it also occured to her they also seemed rather uneasy around her? Or was it fear?

When Mustang returned and at Hawkeye's acceptance, he asked her some questions regarding the men who tried to kill her but she still wasn't capable of providing him with much information other than small descriptions that more or less fit half the men in Central. Even what they said to her was too vague to figure out what exactly they were trying to get. After intense concentration on her part and some guessing games from the men they were able to narrow down the alleyway where she had fled out of from the men. Mustang gave the order for Havoc and Falman to go and investigate the area. They were given radios and ordered to keep in contact with Fuery at all times.

Meanwhile, Mustang had the rest of his men going through past reports and incidents, trying to figure out if there was a connection or similar reports against any military personnel. Assault of a military officer was a severe crime, more so when that officer was under Roy's command.

It took less than an hour before Fuery heard word from Havoc and Falman.

"Taisa." Fuery interrupted their research. "They found the building Hawkeye-chuuei was in. Its empty and there's no sign of anyone in the area."

Mustang nodded. "Fine. Have the building noted to the MP." Hawkeye was sitting quietly at her desk, reading through some of the papers that covered her desk. She felt quite useless and for some reason it bothered her immensely. The papers made little sense to her, she didn't understand what exactly her job was. All Mustang told her was that she protected his back. What exactly was she suppose to be protecting his back from?

Havoc and Falman returned shortly after checking in with Fuery, the time frame made Hawkeye realize that the location hadnt been very far from Central HQ to begin with. Havoc approached Rizas desk and handed her a small blue bag.

"We found your purse tossed into one of the trash bins inside the warehouse. Your gun was the only thing missing." He explained as she took the bag and nodded. It would be good guess to say the gun the man used the other day to try and kill, was her own.

By evening they had done little more than exhaust all their reading material and after receiving no news from the MP, everyone was feeling defeated. Mustang had hoped to have gotten somewhere with all this. He turned to Riza who was still reading over papers and books on her desk.

"Chuuei. Your welcome to stay at my place again tonight. It'll be safer and Ill have one of the MP's bring some of your clothing by. Black Hayate's food as well." He added as a side note as the little dog looked up at him with a soft whine.

"Lets wrap it up for tonight. I want everyone back in first thing tomorrow." Mustang stood up, pulling his coat off the hook and putting it on. The men followed suit as the clatter of chairs and footsteps livened up the room. Hawkeye set the papers down mostly against her will, a part of her was dedicated and wanted to continue searching but she knew she was completely exhausted. She hadn't slept very well last night and was looking forward to the soft bed that held the faint lingering scent of Mustang's cologne. Riza took the coat she had draped over her chair and picked up her belongings, the purse Havoc had returned to her and a plastic bag that contained the clothes Mustang had lent her.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The night went significantly better than the first, on the way home Roy made a quick stop and picked up some dinner for them. When they arrived back at his place, two civilian dressed figures were waiting for them. Roy recognized them to be from the Military Police. The female one carried a small suitcase. Roy smiled as he approached them, Riza tagging along behind him and Black Hayate following her, like a procession.

"Colonel Mustang. We brought the items you requested for Lt. Hawkeye" The female spoke, holding out the suitcase in her hand. Roy nodded his thanks and took the item from her.

"Any word on her place yet?" Roy glanced over at Riza who stood calmly at his side, he couldn't tell what she was thinking.

The man shook his head. "Nothing yet. There's been no sign of unusual activity since we arrived. We have 24 hour surveillance of the place so we'll let you know if anything happens." Mustang nodded, when there were no further questions the two figures saluted and took their leave.

Roy led Riza into his place, locking the door behind them. "I'll put your things in my room. Please use it while your staying here" Roy left the room to deposit her things, leaving Riza alone. She wasn't sure what she should be doing. What was her relationship with this man anyways? She couldn't help but think her feelings for him were wrong or at least should be wrong. Roy returned a moment later to find her sitting on the couch again. For just a moment he had a flashback of last night, of Hawkeye distraught and in tears. The sound of his soft footsteps caused her to turn in his direction. "So how about that dinner?" He smiled, pulling out some plates. Riza shook the haunting thoughts out of her mind and returned his smile.

The two spent the rest of the night chatting, he showed amazing patience with her as she inquired about details of her life and the military. He even told her stories of their past, leaving out the more painful details of some. When there was silence it wasn't the awkward type that needed to be filled by something, it was very companionable. The idea that this was somehow normal for them came to mind.

When she left for bed, he waited to hear the door close and the footsteps to cease, leaving only silence to take over. Roy leaned back in his chair and sighed, it didnt really bother him that all his efforts didnt immediately restore anything for her. There was always tomorrow.

When morning came, Riza was wide awake with no difficulties. She made her way quietly down the hall, she didn't hear him moving around. Was he still asleep? Had something happened to him? She turned the light on as she entered the kitchen and glanced around. There just on the edge of where the light touched in the living room she saw a body on the couch. He was sprawled less than gracefully across it, The blanket had slipped off and now lay in a heap on the floor. She noticed he was still in his white dress shirt and uniform pants. Did he sleep in them? Fool. She approached him slowly, being careful to step softly so not to wake up him. He looked so content and peaceful sleeping there, one arm was draped above his head and dangled off the arm of the couch, his other one on his chest, moving slightly up and down with his breathing. A soft smile crossed her face as she watched him, bending down she picked up the blanket from the floor and gingerly draped it over his body. She paused near his face and hesitated for a long moment; slowly she reached out and ran a hand softly through his hair, brushing the few stray strands from his face. The man beneath her touch suddenly sneezed involuntarily, the action made him curse and Hawkeye to jump back in shock.

"Damn... just when it was getting good..." He murmured, opening his eyes from where he laid and looking over at his shocked lieutenant. The woman wasn't sure how to react or what to say. It took her a moment to realize what just happened before she twitched, her eyes narrowed at him.

"You... were... awake? ...This whole time?" Roy let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his head before moving to a sitting position. He was so glad she wasnt armed right now.

"Well... technically not the whole time... just when you came out of the bedroom." Roy believed that made it sound better. Riza now sporting a nice shade of red, turned on her heel and left the room leaving Mustang to continue to amuse himself with his morning antics.

After a few moments of hearing her shuffling around in his room, she heard the door close again and Riza emerged back in the room. Roy was still chuckling over his joke while he finished dressing and lacing up his boots. He stopped in mid-lace when he noticed her. She was fully dressed in her uniform. Her hair pinned in its usual fashion and her expression held the icy glare of Riza, although he figured it was only icy at him currently. He knew better than to think she was going to forgive him so easily.

Black Hayate sat patiently at the door until they were ready. "Shall we go Lieutenant?" He asked with a kind smile, it was best not to aggravate her anymore, one day she'd be armed and with his luck she'll remember this event. Hawkeye nodded and exited the door first, Hayate at her heels. Mustang let out a sigh and followed after.

The drive to work was usually quiet, the dry, awkward kind. Hawkeye was staring out the window feeling angry and embarrassed. How long was he planning on lying there pretending to be asleep? What was the point of it?

"It was stupid of me. I'm sorry." He finally spoke seriously, his gaze locked on the road in front of him. When she didn't reply he sighed. "It was nice though. Are you actually that angry at me?"

She was silent for awhile longer before she spoke. It was almost hesitating to answer. "No, not really." She felt her face flush again, she was glad she had somewhere else to look for the ride.

When the car pulled up to headquarters, the two stepped out and were greeting with a very large, very sparkly obstruction. Before Riza had a chance to react the figure latched himself around the small woman in a tearful embrace (although perhaps a little more crushing)

"OH LIEUTENTANT! I HEARD ABOUT YOUR ORDEAL, I'M SO SORRY!" The man sobbed, sparkles surrounding him as he spoke passionately. "SYMPATHY IS A TRAIT PASSED DOWN FROM THE ARMSTRONG FAMILY!"

Hawkeyes' eyes were wide as she glanced from the man crushing her to Mustang who just stood in silence, trying to decide if he should try and pry the giant off her.

"...BUT DO NOT FEAR, BECAUSE I'M POSITIVE THAT UPON THE SIGHT OF SUCH SHEER MAJESTIC BEAUTY YOUR MEMORIES OF US WILL COME RUSHING BACK TO YOU IMMEDIATELY!"

"Colonel... who is this man?" Riza spoke blandly between breathes. Major Armstrong gasped, instantly loosing much of his sparkly energy as his theory was kicked to the curb. He released the woman and shrunk back a bit in dejection to give her some space as Mustang moved to her side.

"Major Alex Armstrong. He's a friend." He explained as Hawkeye recovered herself. Mustang turned to the large man and gave a questioning look. "How did you find out about her condition?'

"Sgt. Fuery is an especially nervous little fellow when he's trying to keep a secret." He didn't have to explain anymore, Mustang knew his men. Armstrong wouldn't have had to intimidate him much to get poor Fuery to spill.

"I'd prefer to keep this undercover as much as possible for now." It went without saying but he gave voice to it anyways. Major Armstrong nodded and gave a quick salute, promising to keep it secret.

"I have some things to check up on myself. I'll be back later. Take care Lieutenant." He waved to the two before heading into the city.

* * *

When the two entered the office, they were more than a little surprised to find the entire group already there and bustling about in a frenzy. Breda almost knocking them over as he made for the door just as they entered. Fuery, Mustang noticed was in his usual position, glued to the radio. Havoc looked over at them in the process of grabbing his coat.

"Taisa! We were just about to come find you. The MP just contacted us, there was strange activity at the storage unit Lt. Hawkeye was held in."

Mustang whirled around on his heel and made for the door again, he didn't need anymore information. "Havoc! Stay here with Hawkeye. Fuery, keep me updated."

"Your not going alone! It's dangerous!" Hawkeye said, following behind him, he had no intention of debating it.

"Hawkeye stay here! I'm more than capable of handling a few creeps."

"You dont know what your up against! You told me yourself it was my job to protect you."

She was stubborn. She was his stubborn lieutenant, and she was right, on both counts and for once he really wished she wasn't. He really wished she would stay behind and be safe. He didn't know what sort of use she could be but hopefully it wouldn't come to that. He wasn't planning on letting them get a chance to try anything. He would end it quickly.

When they exited the building a car was waiting for them. Roy climbed in behind the wheel, when he so desired his driving could be called dangerous. They veered out onto the road and sped down the streets, the urgency of the military vehicle caused other cars to swerve out of his path and onlookers to turn in its direction. On the radio, Fuery relayed information from the MP. Several men had entered the building and were seen carrying in equipment, the contents of which were unknown.

Amongst the onlookers, hidden away from the militarys' notice. A single man stood in the shadows between two buildings. He was leaning casually against the side as he watched Mustang's vehicle whip by.

"General H. The mice are arriving just like planned."

* * *

AN: Teeee... I'm a sucker for cliffhangers... .


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry its been so long. Been super busy and havent had much of a chance to do any writing so heres a short chapter I managed to finish. Next one should be up soon hopefully! Enjoy and thanks very much to everyone for the wonderful feedback and reviews! 3

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Chapter 8

The office was darkened save for the single lamp that sat faithfully on the desk. The light illuminated the man's sharp features as he placed the phone back on the receiver. He propped his chin up on hands as he leaned on his desk. His expression serious as he contemplated his next actions; his plan had gone seriously wrong but it was still fixable. All he had to do was rid himself of now dead weight. His plan was extremely simple. Now due to several inept imbeciles that couldn't follow a few simple tasks they gave the bloody woman amnesia! He had to fix it soon; amnesia was one of those funny things that its cure could come from anything. He couldn't have that. It always made him upset to see pawns full of such potential to lose their life like this.

Too late, Plan B has been put into play.

* * *

"Hawkeye, please stay back with the MP's." Mustang tried once more to persuade her to remain back where it was safe just in case things got out of hand as they were so likely to do. He really didn't want to have to rely on any competent shooting from his Lieutenant. The MP's were situated not far from the building in question. They had debriefed him upon arrive; less than twenty minutes ago some men had started to arrive. They were unloading large crates from a truck and storing them in the building. A couple men left in the truck after it was emptied but several men were still inside.

Hawkeye stared icily at him and gave him the same unwavering response shed been giving him since they left HQ. Mustang nodded, reaching down to his belt and removed his sidearm. Since her ordeal they hadn't reissued her sidearm, at the moment she had the restrictions of little more than a civilian. He handed her the weapon which she took after a moment's hesitation. The weight of was weapon was foreign and familiar in a surreal way.

"Just in case; I really hope you don't need to use it. Stay close." Mustang turned than paused before adding "Please don't shoot me." A trace of humor masked the all too real concern in his voice. They closed the distance to the building within moments. Stealth wasn't one of Mustangs better abilities. Hawkeye had little trouble tagging him. Glancing around, she made note of several MP's partial hidden around the vicinity.

Several faint voices could be heard from inside the building. Riza couldn't make out what they were talking about but they were obviously trying hard to keep their voices down. The gun Mustang had given her suddenly felt like it weighted more than she could carry. If it came down to it she was to use this to take the life of someone in order to save another. That was a tough burden to carry even if it was in self-defense. Could she justify that?

Mustang raised one gloved hand ready to use alchemy in a moment's notice. He promised to make short work of these guys and get some answers. With his free hand he pushed the partially open door wide enough to slip in. The room was empty save for a dozen or so crates piled about the room. The men could still be heard further in most likely in another room adjacent to them. As Mustang moved to inspect one of the crates closest to him, the sound of a gun suddenly went off followed only a second later by another. The shot was close to him, too close. He spun around, his eyes went from Riza standing only a couple feet from him, her eyes wide in shock as she held the gun out in front of her, the weapon still smoking. He followed her aim to the motionless body of another man.

"Hawkeye! Are you alright?" He ran to her side, his gaze flickered between her and the direction of where the man had come from. The voices of the other men had stopped after the gunshots, the faint sounds of footsteps echoed loudly against their will as they approached cautiously.

"Colonel Roy Mustang. Drop your weapons and come out!" He wanted to give them a chance to surrender. If he brought them in, questions could be answered- although burning them all to a crisp suiting him just as well.

Hidden from view in the darkened building by several crates was another doorway that neither had noticed before. Another man had made his way quietly up to it while the others were focused in the other direction. He raised his gun and fired a shot at the woman. The bullet grazed her shoulder cleanly caused fresh blood to come forth. Mustang whipped around, fire crackling around her hand. Places like this were full of rats, he didn't have time to go hunting. Raising his hand he snapped his fingers causing flames to leap forward, engulfing the man that shot at them. After he was about to do the same to the others approaching when he realized all too late what had happened. The flames were much larger than he had created and spread outwards.

"Shit!"

He spun around, grabbing Hawkeye around the waist, he threw her to the ground and used his own body to shield her just as the entire building exploded in angry, volatile flames.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As the flames spread through the building, more eruptions could be heard as they enveloped the crates which were discovered too late to be carrying explosives trigged by the intense heat of the Flame Alchemists power. The sound was deafening and the smoke choking to everyone in the area. Several of the MP's stationed outside were caught in the explosion while others scattered to safer ground.

It didn't take long before several State Alchemists managed to subdue the flames, the fate the Colonel and Lieutenant dismal as they fought the alchemy induced flames.

A large man dressed in military garb pushed past the small gathering of alchemists and MP's as they finished containing the scene. They made no attempt to stop him, no one would have dared. He pushed his way carefully but with purpose through the wreckage and towards the low stone wall that looked out of place and blacked with soot.

From behind the wall, two bodies lay, one on top of the other. Both were coughing and struggling to breathe.

"-iza…" Mustang tried to speak but gave in to another coughing fit. The female waved her hand slightly signifying she was more or less alright, her head was still bowed to the ground and she coughed.

Just as quickly as the stone wall appeared around them, it fell in a pile of alchemical stone. The garbed man stood over them, his face filled with concern and fear of what he might have found.

"COLONEL! LIEUTENANT! IM SO HAPPY YOU'RE BOTH ALIVE! I WAS AFRAID I WAS GOING TO BE TOO LATE." Major Armstrong exclaimed, his relief evident in his tone. "We found out only moments before what were in the crates!" He explained as he helped the two gently back to their feet being as gentle as he could in case of any injuries. Roy merely nodded, his throat burned violently from the smoke, no doubt Riza suffered the same. With Armstrong's help the three made their way out of the charred debris.

There wasn't much left of the building, any of the wood was burned away and the old stone walls were only partially standing, most had been blown away from the explosions. It was a stupid move on his part. He had walked blindly into the building and for that he almost got them both killed. Their enemy knew him and had banked on him using alchemy- knew that he would have wanted revenge for what they did to Riza and wouldn't hesitate to act. The men were nothing more than scapegoats, never meant to walk away from all this. Luckily for him and the wars he fought in his reflexes were still quick. After dragging Riza to the ground he managed to use his alchemy to control the fire that enveloped around them at bay enough to spare the two, leaving a small pocket of oxygen. The stone wall created by Armstrong most likely saved them, separating the two from the fires intense heat and a large amount of smoke.

"…Roy… I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." Riza managed to choke out between coughs. Armstrong supported her around her waist as they cleared the area and were meet by a medical team that treated their injuries, most minor scrapes and bruises. It was than Riza finally noticed her arm covered in dried, dirty blood from where the bullet grazed her.

Roy grudgingly allowed someone to treat his injuries after insistence from Armstrong. He kept his cool amazing well under the circumstances, his insides were stirring. He hated being toyed with. He hated other people getting hurt because of him. He hated _her_ getting hurt because of him.

"It wasn't your fault. You have nothing to apologize for."

Riza stared down at his gun she still held in her hand and turned it to examine each side with scrutiny and thought. A sweep of the ruins produced no further survivors. The men's charred remains were found inside the building as well as those of several MP's outside. Those that survived were being treated for varying degrees of injuries.

After being released by the medics, Mustang insisted he was well enough to drive. Major Armstrong tried to convince him otherwise but Mustang had lost too many times today and refused to let this go. He felt fine and nothing would stop him from having this one moment of liberty.

* * *

Mustang won the argument for once and was allowed to drive Hawkeye and himself home. He knew tomorrow there would be a full investigation taking place and with it, many questions to answer and a headache to follow- but that was tomorrow. He'd deal with that when it came. After showing and cleaning up they were visited by several concerned coworkers. Kain Fuery even had to come by to drop Black Hayate off and give them any update on what they found after they left. Or so that was his excuse for why they can come, Mustang suspected there was other reasons but didn't say anything.

They didn't stay long. When Fuery was satisfied the two were alright and his nerves were eased, he excused himself commenting it was going to be a long day tomorrow and he still had to make a couple of stops before heading home himself.

Roy sat in the quiet room, his elbows on his knees and his head resting on his knuckles. "Riza, I-" Roy started to try and apologize for the events today. His words were cut off as Riza leaned in close; he lifted his head in curiosity and was met with a pair a soft lips pressing up against his. The kiss was warm and passionate, without fully realizing it he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss between them. When they released, much to Roy's disappointment, Riza sat up, pushing back from him in embarrassment, her cheeks flushing red for more than one reason.

"I'm sorry. That was too forward of me, you're my superior after all…" Riza stammered. "I just wanted to say I don't blame you at all for what happened today. You didn't know and if you hadn't acted we probably wouldn't have survived. Please don't beat yourself up about it."

"For now, can we just be Roy and Riza? I'm not your superior at the moment. I'm Roy. Just Roy Mustang." He flashed the kind smile that made Riza weak in the knees, how could she fall for someone that was her commanding officer.

"It's against Military reg-" This time it was Riza's turn to be cut off mid-sentence. Roy placed a finger to her lips to silence her.

"Screw the regulations. I've never been one for following rules." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down onto the couch with him in another kiss. If she regretted this when she got her memory back, he could die a happy, happy man.

Riza awoke and at first was confused as to why she could sit up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she glanced about and noticed the cause of it. Roy's arm was draped lazily over her chest and his leg hung over hers securely pinned her to him. He was fast asleep, his breathing tickling the back of her neck. They must have fallen asleep on the couch at some point. Not wanting to wake him she shifted slightly to try and get a look at the time.

"Roy…" She whispered quietly. When he didn't answer she tried again, rubbing his hand gently until he stirred, letting out a disappointed groan.

"Shh, sleep now." He murmured groggily, tightening his grip around her to prevent her from moving.

"Roy… if we don't get up now, we'll be late." She hated being the one to ruin the comfortable peace they were sharing but she also didn't want him to get in trouble for being late, it was bad enough that if they were found there would be severe consequences.

"We'll call in sick. They won't care… sleep…" He urged pathetically. Riza wanted to. Oh how she wanted to! However she couldn't.

Riza chuckled at his lame reason. "You know you can't do that. Not after yesterday."

Roy grumbled something incoherent and shifted again, Riza flinched a bit as a soft voice tickled her ear. It was kind but held a teasing chastising tone to it. "You know, you always have been a joy killer." Riza chuckled and with his allowance she shifted so that she was now facing him.

"Someone has to. Otherwise we would just lie here all day and nothing would ever get done." She gave him a soft kiss before sitting up, leaving the wonderful embrace of his arms and heading off to get ready for work. It pained her as much as it did him no doubt but she could let what they had effect their job. She was slowly coming to terms with what had happened to her and she thought that perhaps she didn't need to remember. Maybe she was better off not knowing, what if when she did remember it would change the way she felt about him? The way he felt about her?

* * *

AN: Squee! I totally wanted to make that royai scene longer. So many ideas but alas, another time I suppose!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

From the time they left his apartment, both of them had regained their professional appearance and mannerisms expected of a soldier. Neither one spoke as they made their daily routine to the car and from there, HQ. It was a comfortable routine now for her, it seemed normal as if she'd been doing this for years.

Aside from the gentle rumbling of the car's engine as they drove, the trip was silent. Hawkeye sat in the passenger seat, her fingers idling playing with the buttons on her jacket, tracing over the smooth metal. He wanted to ask what was on her mind, but he knew the answer already and seemed stupid to voice it.

Her body went rigid; her hands froze on the button she had been inspecting. If it wasn't for the strange choking noise she made Roy wouldn't have took notice, he glanced over at the woman and noticed she was staring out the window, her eyes locked on the side mirror.

"Riza"

"-op. STOP!" She shouted, her eyes filled with erratic fear. Roy didn't hesitate to swerve the car off to the side. He turned to her; her eyes hadn't left the window.

"Riza! What's wrong? What is it?" He hated been out of the loop. Suddenly she whipped around, her neck craning to see out of the back window of the car before turning to him.

"It's them Roy! Those were the men from the warehouse! I just know it!" She pointed frantically behind her. Roy turned in the direction she pointed. Several yards down the road, walking casually away from them were two men. One of them glanced behind him at the sound of the tires screeching to a stop but didn't appear to recognize them. Roy saw the fear in her eyes; she looked as she did that day he found her in the rain.

"Stay here. I swear to god I won't let them lay a finger on you again." He didn't know what he would do but he knew if he didn't act now, this chance might not come again. Thankfully it was still early, the streets were almost empty. Still he had to prevent harm from coming to anyone, it was his duty. His military training told him to wait and call for back up. To not take any unnecessary risks but the part that was his own, told them if they got away they could come back with more vengeance. After all they survived the explosion, they wanted them dead now and he was going to find out why.

By the time Roy had stepped out of the car and made his way after the men, he noticed they had begun to walk a little more briskly. They were onto him. They wouldn't make a large scene here though, they wouldn't be that foolish.

She wrung her hands together tightly as she waited. Would he be alright by himself? There were citizens around; neither would act too rashly right? Hawkeye bit at her lower lip, her eyes flickering between her lap and the side mirror where she could see Mustang walking with purpose after the two men, side stepping around the odd shopkeeper or pedestrian.

What was that?

Riza squinted into the mirror than spun around to get a better look at the object of her confusion. A trick of the light perhaps, but she could have sworn she saw a glimmer, a reflection of some sort.

It couldn't be! They wouldn't be so foolish!

All her intense military training and years of honed sharpshooting skills told her Mustang was in grave danger. Fear vanished, replaced by urgency. She flung the car door open, almost falling out in her urgency to save the colonel. She ran as quickly as she could after Mustang, praying she wasn't too late to stop what was coming.

She had no time to give him warning as it would most likely trigger the shooter as well. Riza dropped to the ground, kicking her leg out to the side and knocking Mustang backwards off his feet. With speed born from years of Military training she grabbed the gun that hung from Mustang's side as he tumbled backwards, in all actuality she'd used this weapon far more times than he ever had. The shooter fired at the same time Riza interfered, the shot would have been a direct hit otherwise. The streets were bare save for the current conflict now thankfully. Precision and timing was Hawkeyes specialty, she fired off two shots at the men only seconds after gaining the deadly firearm. She dropped the first man as he began to reach for his weapon, the next hit the original gunman in the arm, rendering it useless and making him drop his own gun in the process. The third man was able to avoid her aim as he dived quickly into an alley. Now they had to assume he would be armed.

"You really should get someone to watch your back Sir." Her eyes were deadly focused on the two men in front of her, occasionally flicking to the side where the third fled to. Her aim was steady and unwavering as she held the gun on the man who stood frozen clutching his shoulder wound. His friend laid prone on the ground bleeding at his feet. With eyes that matched her name she noticed his eyes flicking downwards at the gun by his side, trying to decide on whether or not he could get a shot off at her. The cocking on the gun to his forehead brought the point home quite nicely. The man pulled back slightly, raising his hands in submission.

Mustang grimaced in pain, he had landed roughly on the cement, rubbing his back, he pulled himself back to his feet. His gaze was fixed on the back of his beloved Lieutenants head; he gave a sly smirk. "I have no need for someone. That's still your job Chuuei."

Hawkeye gave a small nod and watched as Mustang approached the two men, she kept her eyes trained on the man she swore to protect and also the ones that sought to do them harm. The wounded man met Roy's fiery glare. His gaze told him that if he even moved a muscle he would be incinerated. With the knowledge Riza was watching his back he passed by the man and turned his attention to the one that was fleeing. Roy stepped out into the alley, his trench coat blowing menacingly in the breeze, matching his expression perfectly. The alley was empty, or so it appeared at first glance. Trash, bins and debris- typical things you'd expect to find in an alley. He could hear the man's heavy panting and shuffling of feet as he tried to remain hidden from view or to get a clear shot of him. Either way it was just him and Roy and he knew who was going to win. The man was clearly spooked and would act rashly. Just as predicted it didn't take long before the man peeked out from his hiding place behind some bins. Roy smirked and took a few steps towards him, removing his gloved hands from his pockets as he did so. The man's eyes widened. His options were dwindling rapidly. If he ran he was dead or captured if he was super lucky. If he fired perhaps he could drop him and get away. The man drew his gun but didn't even get it above his waist before the Colonel snapped his fingers and sent the man ablaze. He had two potential prisoners, they didn't need a third. Plus, he was still far too angry to let them all go so easy.

"Hey there Miss. It's been awhile!" The man gazed up at Riza, tossing her a small sarcastic wave as he suddenly gained a bout of cockiness most likely due to the Colonel being absent. He leaned back slowly so not to provoke the trigger happy Lieutenant. He glanced over at his companion, he was conscious but in more pain than he was. Hawkeye didn't respond to his greeting but couldn't help grit her teeth in annoyance at his attitude. They tortured her for days; continuously and now they were helpless in front of her and her job and standing preventing her from seeking revenge. Not like this.

"What you still don't remember us sweety? We shared such quality time together too."

"I remember everything you dirty bastards!" Riza spat. It took all her strength to not put a few more holes in his body.

"Oh that's good. Very good. Perhaps we can try it again sometime. I do like how you scream." The man chuckled, watching as her hands that held the gun shook. He must not fear death as much as he enjoyed getting a reaction from her. They wouldn't beat her. She was stronger than that. Anything she said would just fan the flames. Hawkeye held her emotions in check like she had done a hundred times before and focused on her job. She quickly removed them of their weapons, ignoring the quip comments he made in the process.

"Won't your boyfriend Colonel be jealous, Miss Lieutenant Hawkeye?" He asked with a grin as she reached to remove the gun strapped to his friend.

"No one's jealous of garbage." She shot back. The man's face contorted in anger, he started to move but froze as she returned the gun to his head. "If you know me so well, you know I don't miss. Move again and I swear there will be a different outcome from the last time we meet."

Mustang returned from the alley to find Hawkeye standing next to the two men on the ground, she had them sitting up against the wall, their hands behind their hand (more painful for the poor sap with the shoulder wound he noted) Hawkeye felt his presence behind her and knew without asking the fate of the third man.

"Sir, I called ahead to have these two brought in." Mustang stood behind her and nodded. She was back. A part of him truly enjoyed the quality, non-professional time they had shared together, she called him Roy so freely, rather than Sir all the time regardless of whether they were on duty or not, nonetheless he was still relieved that his Hawkeye was back and things would quickly return to normal now.

Just how quickly surprised them all.

* * *

When they arrived at HQ, Hawkeye left to take care of some reports and debrief what happened, they would want to know about her recovery. Mustang walked slowly to his office, only imagining the kind of paperwork that was waiting for him regarding yesterday. Naturally his men were already there and working diligently. Mustang had already been running late before the whole fiasco in the streets. Fuery had already heard about the arrest they made of the men and most of the details, although at the moment only he and Hawkeye knew about her memory. He didn't think it was his place to say anything, not until she was checked out and passed anyways.

When his men asked where she was, he told them shortly that she was busy and would join them again when she could.

The afternoon slipped by before he knew it, military personnel passed to and from his office bearing gifts of papers or documents or asked to appear before one superior or another. There wasn't much time to think about anything, although he did.

It wasn't until late afternoon when the door opened and the blonde officer stepped through the door. Under her arm she carried a large pile of papers and looked rather exhausted, although she did a good job at hiding it, it was possible no one else noticed. She had more than likely been tested and questioned all day. She placed the papers on her desk with a dull thud.

"Welcome back Chuuei!" Fuery greeted her in his usual cheerful tone. Hawkeye returned a short but no unfriendly reply. It was professional and to the point. The men glanced between themselves than looked towards Mustang whom had his head bent over some papers- not doing them they knew but avoiding their gazes most likely.

"Lieutenant Havoc." She addressed suddenly to the man blonde man at the desk, her tone sharp and for some reason sent shivers down his spine. He suppressed an audible gulp and stood as she approached. Her expression matched her tone perfectly. Her uniform was freshly pressed, and he noticed now that she wore a shiny- freshly cleaned he guessed- firearm strapped to her side. "I have just one question that's bothered me for a while. When you searched that warehouse the other day, would you please explain to me how _exactly_ you knew my gun was the ONLY item missing from my purse?" She asked, her tone changing slightly to a more deadly curiosity. He knew without being told that his answer could decide his fate and whether or not he'd live to see another day.

Mustang glanced up at this and watched with quiet interest. He gave a look of sympathetic concern to Havoc that by this time had become ghostly pale and looked as if he would pass out any second. Behind their doomed colleague the other men bowed their heads in unison and began to say a small prayer on his behalf while Riza drew her gun and released the safety. Havoc turned his head to the side, shouting something about 'traitors' to the men behind him. It didn't take long to figure out what had happened

"It was nice knowing you, Havoc. Don't worry, I'll take good care of Marie for you."

Mustang spoke gravely. The part that concerned Havoc the most was that they both knew he was all too serious about that last part.

At this moment the gun to his head was definitely first and foremost of a threat.

"Um... Erm... no, it's- it's not like that Hawkeye-chuuei! Really-" He stammered, grasping for straws as he tried to think of a way out of this. "It- it was open and I- I- I wasn't looking through it or anything like that. It was- it- I didn't see anything weird!"

Havoc waved his hands in gesture frantically about him, his heart beating rapidly. He knew from experience as woman's bag was a sacred possession and if she knew the truth that he had in fact poked through the contents he really would shoot her. It wasn't like he was doing it to be perverted but curiosity did get the better of him and what if there was an important clue in it that would help them? They had to know right? He had really hoped she wouldn't have remembered just that one line of his.

"...weird? Is that how you describe my purse?" Hawkeye's eye twitched, her grip tightened on the loaded weapon, her finger hovering threateningly over the trigger.

Mustang chuckled softly from his desk, finally deciding to let his officer off the hook before he required a new uniform... or a coffin. It became a common, no less terrifying event around them to have the woman pull a gun threatening on one of the men under his direct command.

"Chuuei. It's good to have you back and so full of spirit. However I'm truly not looking forward to the amount of paperwork that would be involved in you riddling my officer with bullet holes... I also believe there's a more pressing matter at hand."

Hawkeye let out a sigh, returning the firearm safely to its home at her side. "Your right Sir." She turned, forgetting about Havoc and returned to her desk. Sorting through the files with precise organization she pulled a folder from somewhere in the middle and handing it to Mustang. "These are the files pertaining to the warehouse last night and the information we gathered from the area and what the interrogation has brought forth." She pulled forth another smaller file from the stack and gave it to him as well. "My report, Sir. Everything that's happened in the past few days, I'm afraid there's nothing overly helpful in there."

Mustang gave a nod, placing the folders on top of his ever growing pile.

"Thank you Lieutenant. You always know how to keep me from being bored." He stated sarcastically, leaning his head into the hand that was being propped up on the desk.

The rest of the day went by quietly. She had successfully reinstated herself as the cold lieutenant of the military and each of the men busied themselves diligently with work, even Mustang whom was almost buried in work at this point. Passing into the evening, the men slowly filtered out for the night leaving only Hawkeye and Mustang working hard to make some headway. There were no words spoken between the two until several hours after his men had left. Roy leaned back in his chair and stretched, relieving the writing cramp in his hand.

"Hawkeye-chuuei. Its late, why don't we call it a night?" He groaned, rubbing his head and staring at the half done report.

Hawkeye glanced up at him from across the desk and made a face. "It's only 7:30pm Sir. You have too much work here to leave it all until tomorrow. We can get a couple more hours in Sir."

Roy set the pen down and folded his arms across his desk, his gaze focused on the woman before him.

"Riza… do you by any chance have any recollection of the past few nights, and I don't care what dull stories you wrote in your report" His voice was casual but curious. Intrigue had gotten the best of him.

Riza froze; the question caught her off-guard. When she didn't respond, a sly smile crept across Mustangs face. It was bold of him, but he had to know. He pushed the chair back and stood up.

"Um… Sir. I really don't think this is the time or place to be discussing this. You have work. We're at work."

Mustang stopped in front of her chair and leaned down to the seated woman. "I told you told last. I've never been one to follow rules." Feeling no resistance coming from the woman he steeled his nerves and took her into a deep kiss. It took a little longer for her to warm up to him than it had last time but when she did, she returned the kiss with passion equaling or exceeding his own, her hands automatically found their way around Mustangs back, secretly begging him to stay. The spark they had last night returned. She ran her hands through his soft black hair and took in the scent of his skin.

One of his hands gripped the arm of her chair, supporting his weight as he leaned; his free hand cupped her face gently. Roy opened his eyes in surprise when he realized his hand was suddenly wet. Roy released her lips to notice tears streaming down his Lieutenants face.

"I'm sorry Roy." She apologized quickly, wiping the traitorous tears away with her sleeve. "…I- I'm just so relieved to know it's all real."

Roy smiled, placing a tender kiss on her cheek where a moment ago there had been tears. "It's real, I promise you. Memories may fade or be forgotten, but my feelings for you- Miss Riza Hawkeye, will never waver. I love you no matter what.

* * *

AN: Fin! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it (Especially the fluffy bits) I realize I didn't actually solve who was the mastermind behind it all, I actually had plans to do that. This was all supposed to take place after the anime brotherhood (with a few tiny changes) than I realized halfway through I had messed up ranks enough to do that. So thought I'd leave it sorta open ended. It ended happy though, they're together. Right? Right? ^_^


End file.
